The Vietnam War Years

1. CHAPTER The Vietnam War Years 30 Overview Time Lines 1 Moving Toward Conflict SECTION 2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation SECTION 3 A Nation Divided SECTION 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year SECTION 5 The End of the War and Its Legacy SECTION Chapter Assessment Transparencies

2. THEMES IN CHAPTER 30 Expanding Democracy Constitutional Concerns Civil Rights Cultural Diversity CHAPTER The Vietnam War Years 30 HOME “Vietnam is still with us. . . We paid an exorbitant price for the decisions that were made.” Henry Kissinger, U.S. national security advisor under President Nixon

3. What do you know? • • What do you already know about the Vietnam War, especially its causes and effects both in Vietnam and America? • Read the quote above and answer the following: • What might Kissinger have meant by an exorbitant price? CHAPTER The Vietnam War Years 30 HOME “Vietnam is still with us. . . We paid an exorbitant price for the decisions that were made.” Henry Kissinger, U.S. national security advisor under President Nixon

4. 1955U.S. begins providing economic aid to South Vietnam. 1964Congress passes Tonkin Gulf Resolution. 1965First U.S. ground troops arrive in Vietnam. U.S. troops quell uprising in Dominican Republic. 1968The Vietcong launch the Tet offensive. President Johnson announces he will not seek reelection. 1969U.S. troops begin withdrawal from Vietnam. 1970Ohio National Guardsmen shoot and kill four students at Kent State University. President Nixon orders an invasion of Cambodia. 1973U.S. signs cease-fire with North Vietnam and Vietcong, ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam War. CHAPTER Time Line 30 HOME The United States

5. 1954Vietminh defeat French at Dien Bien Phu. 1957The National Liberation Front, or Vietcong, forms in South Vietnam. 1962The African nation of Uganda becomes independent. 1964Palestine Liberation Organization forms in the Middle East. 1966Mao Zedong begins Cultural Revolution in China. 1972Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law in the Philippines. 1975Saigon falls; South Vietnam surrenders to the Communists. 1970Salvador Allende, a Marxist, is elected president of Chile. CHAPTER Time Line 30 HOME The World

6. Learn About the early measures the United States took to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. To Understand how America slowly became involved in a war in Vietnam. SECTION 1 Moving Toward Conflict HOME

7. SECTION 1 Moving Toward Conflict HOME Key Idea America slowly involves itself in the war in Vietnam as it seeks to halt the spread of communism.

8. President Vietnam Policy Truman Eisenhower Kennedy Johnson SECTION 1 Moving Toward Conflict HOME 1 Section Assessment SUMMARIZING What was the Vietnam policy for Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson? economic aid to France economic and military aid to South Vietnam economic and military aid to South Vietnam stepped-up U.S. military involvement

9. ANALYZING EFFECTS Why do you think the Geneva Accords of 1954 failed to bring a lasting peace in Vietnam? THINK ABOUT • the provisions of the Geneva Accords • Ho Chi Minh’s and Ngo Dinh Diem’s goals • the role of the U.S. in Vietnam SECTION 1 Moving Toward Conflict HOME 1 Section Assessment

10. FORMING OPINIONS Do you think Congress was justified in passing the Tonkin Gulf Resolution? THINK ABOUT • the report of torpedo boat attacks on two U.S. destroyers • the powers that the resolution would give the president • the fact that the resolution was not a declaration of war SECTION 1 Moving Toward Conflict HOME 1 Section Assessment

11. Learn About the reasons for U.S. escalation and the difficulty the United States encountered in fighting the Vietcong. To Understand why the war lasted longer than expected and began to lose support at home. SECTION 2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation HOME

12. SECTION 2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation HOME Key Idea The United States sends troops to fight in Vietnam, but the war quickly turns into a stalemate.

13. Military Tactics and Weapons VIETCONG U.S. TACTICS: ambushes hit-and-run attacks TACTICS: large-scale bombing search-and-destroy missions WEAPONS: booby traps land mines WEAPONS: napalm Agent Orange bombers SECTION 2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation HOME 2 Section Assessment SUMMARIZING What key military tactics and weapons were used by the Vietcong and the Americans?

14. EVALUATING Evaluate the U.S. strategy for conducting the Vietnam War. THINK ABOUT • the war of attrition • the battle for the “hearts and minds” of the South Vietnamese • the support for South Vietnamese leaders SECTION 2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation HOME 2 Section Assessment

15. GENERALIZING What were the effects of the nightly TV coverage of the Vietnam War? THINK ABOUT • television images of Americans in body bags • the Johnson administration’s credibility gap SECTION 2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation HOME 2 Section Assessment

16. Learn About the growing antiwar movement in America. To Understand how the war sharply divided the American public. SECTION 3 A Nation Divided HOME

17. SECTION 3 A Nation Divided HOME Key Idea An antiwar movement emerges in the United States, pitting those who oppose the government’s war policy against those who support it.

18. The New Left Student Organizations Issues Demonstrations SECTION 3 A Nation Divided HOME 3 Section Assessment SUMMARIZING What were examples of student organizations, issues, and demonstrations of the New Left? • march on Washington (April 1965) • protest rally in Washington (November 1965) • civil disobedience at Selective Service centers • opposition to Vietnam War • abolition of college deferments • campus issues • Students for a Democratic Society • Free Speech Movement

19. MAKING DECISIONS What choices did war draftees make during the Vietnam era? THINK ABOUT • university students • antiwar demonstrators • economically underprivileged whites and minorities SECTION 3 A Nation Divided HOME 33 Section Assessment

20. FORMING OPINIONS Do you agree, as many did, that antiwar protests were “acts of disloyalty”? Why or why not? THINK ABOUT • why protestors staged antiwar demonstrations • comments that the protestors “didn’t really love this country” • the right to dissent in a democratic society SECTION 3 A Nation Divided HOME 33 Section Assessment

21. Learn About the Tet offensive, the assassination of two national leaders, and the rioting at the Democratic national Convention. To Understand why 1968 stands out as the most explosive year of the 1960s. SECTION 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year HOME

22. SECTION 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year HOME Key Idea A shocking enemy attack in Vietnam, two assassinations, and a chaotic political convention help make 1968 the most explosive year of the decade.

23. August Clash between police and protestors at Democratic National Convention. January Tet offensive. April King’s assassination; urban riots. June Robert Kennedy’s assassination. March Johnson’s withdrawalfrom presidential race. SECTION 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year HOME 4 Section Assessment SUMMARIZING What major events occurred in 1968?

24. ANALYZING Why do you think the Tet offensive might be considered the turning point of the Vietnam War? THINK ABOUT • its effects on the Johnson administration’s credibility • its effects on public opinion • Johnson’s response to the split within the Democratic Party SECTION 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year HOME 4 Section Assessment

25. COMPARING AND CONTRASTING Do you think there might have been a relationship between the violence of the Vietnam War and the growing climate of violence in the United States during 1968? Why or why not? THINK ABOUT • the heavy casualties during the month-long Tet offensive • peak U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 1968 SECTION 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year HOME 4 Section Assessment

26. Learn About President Richard Nixon’s Vietnamization policy and the end of the war. To Understand how the war had a lasting affect on America. SECTION 5 The End of the War and Its Legacy HOME

27. SECTION 5 The End of the War and Its Legacy HOME Key Idea The nation’s longest war ends after nearly ten years and leaves a lasting impact on U.S. policy and American society.

28. Date Headline March 16, 1968 April 30, 1970 May 4, 1970 May 14, 1970 December 31, 1970 January 27, 1973 March 29, 1973 SECTION 5 The End of the War and Its Legacy HOME 5 Section Assessment SUMMARIZING What are some possible newspaper headlines that summarize the historical significance of each of the dates listed below? Massacre at My Lai Nixon Announces Invasion of Cambodia Kent State Tragedy Two Students Killed at Jackson State Congress Repeals Tonkin Gulf Resolution U.S. Signs Agreement to End Vietnam War Last U.S. Combat Troops Leave Vietnam

29. SYNTHESIZING In your opinion, what was the effect of the U.S. government’s deception about its policies and military conduct in Vietnam? THINK ABOUT • the release of information surrounding the My Lai massacre • the contents of the Pentagon Papers • Nixon’s secrecy in authorizing military maneuvers SECTION 5 The End of the War and Its Legacy HOME 5 Section Assessment

30. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS How would you account for the cold homecoming American soldiers received when they returned from Vietnam? THINK ABOUT • how the Vietnam War ended • America’s divisiveness over its role in Vietnam • the media coverage of the My Lai massacre SECTION 5 The End of the War and Its Legacy HOME 5 Section Assessment

31. 30 Chapter Assessment HOME 1. How did the Tonkin Gulf Resolution lead to greater U.S. involvement in Vietnam? 2. What was President Eisenhower’s explanation of the domino theory? 3. Why did much of the American public and many in the Johnson administration support U.S. escalation in Vietnam? 4. Name three factors that contributed to the sinking morale among U.S. troops fighting in Vietnam. 5. What race-related problems existed for African American soldiers who served in the Vietnam War?

32. 30 Chapter Assessment HOME 6. What evidence was there that the country was sharply divided between hawks and doves? 7. What circumstances set the stage for President Johnson’s public announcement that he would not seek another term as president? 8. What acts of violence occurred in the United States during 1968 that dramatically altered the mood of the country? 9. Briefly describe the military conflict in Vietnam soon after the last U.S. combat troops departed in 1973. 10. What were the immediate effects and more lasting legacies of the Vietnam War within America?